IBM, New York state partnering to open career-oriented schools in mid-Hudson

Students in the mid-Hudson Valley will be able to attend a special combined high school, vocational institute and two-year college through a partnership between New York state and IBM.

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By Jessica DiNapoli

recordonline.com

By Jessica DiNapoli

Posted Feb. 27, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By Jessica DiNapoli
Posted Feb. 27, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

Students in the mid-Hudson Valley will be able to attend a special combined high school, vocational institute and two-year college through a partnership between New York state and IBM.

Big Blue is working with the state to open 10 schools that prepare students for careers in a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) field, the company announced Tuesday. Each region of New York — as defined by economic development agency Empire State Development — will get one of the six-year, tuition-free schools.

The location of the schools within each region has not yet been decided, said Grace Suh, the education manager for IBM's corporate citizenship program.

It has also unclear when the schools will open. Some may open next year, she said.

IBM will be the corporate partner for two of the 10 new schools, Suh said. Those schools will focus on the information technology field. As-of-yet unidentified companies will work with New York on the other schools.

The companies may be in the health care, manufacturing or finance industries. IBM will help the other companies make sure the curriculum at the schools matches up with required job skills in the field and provide other guidance.

An important tenet of the model for the school is that potential students do not require certain grades or test scores, Suh said.

"They only have to show an interest in the model," she said.

IBM has worked on two similar schools, the Pathways in Technology Early College High School in Brooklyn and the Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy in Chicago.